Sasuke, why?
by aladybug19
Summary: Sasuke has left the village and Sakura is crushed. why did he do it? for her. what will happen when he trys to break away from Orochimaru? will Sakura be able to take him back after all the pain he caused her? SasuSaku
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_This may seem familiar to those of you that watch the show but I promise that I changed some of it. It was just such a good scene to start from. Don't think that I don't give all credit to the creators of Naruto…I, Aladybug19, give all credit for the first scene to the creators and producers of Naruto._

Sakura had just left Naruto at the ramen bar and was on her way home when she had a sudden bad feeling. It was Sasuke. She walked down the road that led out of the village. Sure enough, there was Sasuke. His head was down and his eyes looked like he was contemplating something. Finally, he noticed her and stopped about 200 feet away from where she was standing. "Sasuke-kun? Why do you want to leave?" she said quiet and calm. She felt detached from all of her feelings except for sorrow. Her eyes didn't have the usual, full of life gleam that they always had. Instead, they were dull and glazed over.

Sasuke turned toward her and sighed. "Why do you have to interfere? Just leave and go back home, you have no purpose here."

Sakura asked again, "Why do you want to leave?"

"It's nothing that concerns you."

At that moment, a single tear slid down her pale cheek. "Why Sasuke, why don't you want to stay here with me and Naruto and Kakashi-sensei? Don't we mean anything to you?!" Sakura burst out now crying intensely, heartbroken.

Sasuke showed a glimpse of compassion for only a second before covering it with an emotionless expression.

"Why won't you forget about your brother? He's just a bad memory from the past. Now you have people that care for you so much. Why can't you accept that and enjoy your life? Naruto, even though he acts like he hates you, he tells me that he thinks of you like a brother and that you have been his greatest purpose. He wants to live so that he can always be there to challenge you. And me, I…I…I LOVE YOU SASUKE-KUN!"

The moon was full and shone as bright as ever. the windows of nearby buildings were black. The slow-flowing stream that ran parallel to the two was calm and reflected the awful event that was taking place.

Sasuke smiled with a twisted smirk, but then he put his head back down and returned to the emotionless look that he had had only minutes ago. He began to walk past Sakura towards the gate to the village when Sakura turned around a shouted, "If you go any further, I'll scream."

In the blink of an eye, Sasuke was behind her with his hand on her shoulder. "…Sakura…arigato" (thank you). His voice was cold and dry but had a small hint of compassion for his comrade. His onyx eyes were on the verge of tears when he snapped them shut and knocked her out.

As he carried the girl across the village towards her house, he began to think about the memories that they had shared. About the first time that he had protected anyone besides himself, it had been Sakura. And the time that he was presumed dead on the bridge, she had been crying over him. All of these memories came rushing back to him. For a moment he doubted his decision to go to Orochimaru. Then, another memory came to him. It was of Orochimaru saying that he would never be able to grow stronger if he stayed in Konoha. He jumped into her bedroom through an open window and placed her gently on her bed. On her night table was a picture of the first time they had been Team 7. Sasuke closed his eyes and left. He walked slowly to give himself time to reconsider. By the time he had reached the outskirts of the village, he was still unsure.

Standing in front of him was the Sound Four. Sakon stood up and announced that Sasuke had been chosen to be their new leader. Still unsure of his decision, Sasuke walked past them and said, "I don't give a shit about you four, just take me to Orochimaru."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sakura awoke. She was at home in her bed. She laid there staring at the ceiling, crying uncontrollably. _Why had Sasuke left the village…Naruto…her? _she thought to herself.

What she hadn't noticed was that he had brought her back to her house, almost all the way across the village from where they had been.

Her alarm went off but she didn't leave her room. She was too emotionally drained and confused. She had to take time to sort out all of the events that had happened the night before. She remembered leaving Naruto at the ramen bar and heading home. Then she had met Sasuke and begged him to stay. Next thing she knew, he was behind her and he whispered, _"…Sakura…arigato."_ What did he mean?

Sakura stayed in bed until nearly noon. It was a Saturday and she didn't have anything to do. After getting showered and dressed, she went downstairs only to find Kotetsu and Izumo in her living room talking to her mom. She knew what it was about…Sasuke.

She had a somber look on her face and they understood that she knew why they were here.

"Sakura, I assume that you know why we are here," Kotetsu stated.

"Yes, I do. You are here because you found out that Sasuke-kun left the village to go to Orochimaru," Sakura said, sounding much older than she really was. "You're here because you think that I know something."

"Yes, we were hoping that you could tell us if Sasuke had been acting strange lately," Izumo replied.

"He wasn't acting strange at all. He was quiet as usual. Then, last night…" she paused. "Last night, I had been at the ramen bar with Naruto…"

_**Flashback**_

"_Naruto, I'm gonna go home now." Sakura said. Thank you for the meal."_

"_Anytime," Naruto said. "Do you want me to walk you home, it's getting dark out."_

"_No thanks. I like walking and the moonlight is bright enough," she said still worried about Sasuke._

_Sakura left Naruto and headed for home. Then she thought, "What if he tries to go with Orochimaru?" Instead of taking the direct route, she went the long way that took her to the edge of the village. After a while she ran into Sasuke, his head was down and it looked like he was thinking. She begged him to stay here with her and Naruto. He didn't listen to her. Instead, he just left._

_**End Flashback**_

She had left out the part about him saying, "…Sakura…arigato" because she knew it wouldn't matter. After she had told her story, she went to a park near her house. She sat on a swing and started to gentle rock back and forth. Her heart ached. It felt like it had been ripped out of her chest.

Just as she was about to burst into tears, Naruto came running up. "Hey Sakura, great morning, isn't it?" he said jumping up and down. Once he saw her face, his attitude changed completely. "…It's Sasuke…isn't it?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_Recap: Just as she was about to burst into tears, Naruto came running up. "Hey Sakura, great morning, isn't it?" he said jumping up and down. Once he saw her face, his attitude changed completely. "…It's Sasuke isn't it?"_

"Naruto, don't be angry at him. He left the village, I'm sorry that I couldn't stop him," she said in a quiet whisper.

"Damn it! I knew he would do this," he said under his breathe. "Sakura, I promise that I will bring him back for you," he promised. _I know that you love him, and I'm ok with that. You could never love me and that's alright," he thought._ "The only right thing to do would be to make you happy. To do that, I _have_ to bring Sasuke back," he said to Sakura.

"Naruto…" Sakura said, shocked at his words. "Thank you."

Naruto left to get ready. He would tell Tsunade that he was going to bring Sasuke back and that was that. She had only two choices now that Naruto had made up his mind, she could give him back-up, or she could protest. Either way, he was going to do it.

After the news had spread through the village, the first one to come and try to comfort her was Kakashi sensei. He must have known that Sakura would be upset.

"Sakura?" he said from the window sill.

Sakura nearly jumped. "Hai?"

"I was just wondering how you were doing. I assume that you know about Sasuke," he said in a somber voice.

"I was the first to know," she said, holding back the tears.

"It's hard to loose a person so close to you, isn't it? I know, my closest friend and rival died during a mission," he said, looking at the floor.

"I'm sorry to hear that sensei," Sakura said regaining some of her composure.

"I know that you had strong feelings for Sasuke. I could see it in your eyes when you looked at him. He's a lucky person to have someone like you care about him so much," Kakashi said in a slightly different voice than normal. It wasn't dry like it usually was. Now, it was deep and thoughtful.

Sakura started to cry again. Kakashi put his hand on her shoulder to try and consol her but she couldn't stop. He felt bad that she hurt so much. No young girl should have to suffer like this.

Meanwhile, Sasuke and the sound four had reached Orochimaru's lair. He had settled into his room but still doubted his plans to kill Itachi. It would take up a lot of his life to defeat his older brother, and if it took too long, he might never be able to return to Konoha and Sakura.

"Sasuke, are you ready to begin training?" Orochimaru asked in his raspy voice.

"Hai," Sasuke said, he was determined to finish this quickly so that he could return to the one person that really mattered; Sakura.

Although Sasuke had his plans to kill Itachi and become stronger, Orochimaru had his own plans. If he could only get Sasuke to realize that he couldn't kill his brother, then he would willingly give him his body. Or at least he thought. Orochimaru had no idea that Sasuke had another ambition; he wanted to be able to protect Sakura. After Naruto had defeated Gaara in his demon form, Sasuke had surprisingly been jealous. How could that loser do something that he couldn't? This was Sasuke's main drive now. Killing Itachi was just his cover.

_If anyone has suggestions for the next chapter, I'm kinda stuck on it. So… PLZ read and review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: sry this took me so long to post this chapter. I had a ton of homework and projects and friend crises that I had to take care of. Thanks to ZoeBabii328, I think that this chapter is so much better than my first draft of it. Read and review, be pretty harsh with ur comments but don't try and make me cry_

**Chapter 4**

_Recap__: "Hai," Sasuke said, he was determined to finish this quickly so that he could return to the one person that really mattered; Sakura._

Sasuke was exhausted after three straight days of training with Orochimaru. He began to think more and more about the village and Sakura. He was deep in thought when Orochimaru attacked. Startled, Sasuke jumped back just in time.

"_Daydreaming_ again, Sasuke?" Orochimaru hissed, like the snakes he controlled.

"Of course not," Sasuke yelled as he launched into the air. "Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu."

Orochimaru dodged the attack easily. He smirked, "And I thought you wanted to kill your brother"

"Revenge. So pointless. There are more important things out there," he murmured under his breathe.

Orochimaru winced at those words. It reminded him of his old sensei. "You old bastard," he muttered under his breathe. "Sasuke…you don't care for anyone in that village anymore, do you?" his question slid so slowly out of his mouth that it was enough to make Sasuke shutter on the inside.

"Why would I care for anyone in that village? It means nothing to me," Sasuke kept the straightest face he could, but Orochimaru was a legendary sannin and knew he was lying.

"We're finished for today. Go back to your room and clear your mind, you're too distracted," Orochimaru needed to rest, after his encounter with the Sandaime, his body was growing weaker with each passing day. If he didn't steal Sasuke's body soon, he might die.

Back in Konoha, Sakura was beginning to accept the fact that Sasuke had left. Thanks to Naruto, who hadn't left to find Sasuke yet, she was starting to return to normal, or at least as close to normal as she could get. If only she could make time reverse, if only she could go bring him back.

_BAM! _

Sakura slammed her fist on the table. Next to her hand was a picture of Team 7, back when everything was going fine. She punched the glass and through the picture frame across the room. The shattered glass was dripping with her blood and tears.

"Sakura, what was that?" her mom called up the stairs.

"It was nothing mom," she yelled back, her voice quivering from all of her crying.

"Have you heard from Sakura lately?" Lee asked.

"No, she's locked herself in her room for the past couple of days. I think she's still upset about Sasuke. You know she was there when he left. I feel bad for her," Ino said.

"Can I get a daisy please?" Lee asked.

"Sure, here you go," Ino said handing Lee a beautiful yellow daisy. "Tell her that she can always come talk to me."

"I will. Thank you," Lee said as he ran out the door of the flower shop.

Lee jumped from roof to roof. _How could he do that to Sakura? I will make him pay._

_TAP_

Lee landed on the roof outside Sakura's window. He looked inside to see Sakura sitting on her bed, her face was blank. Lee knocked on the window and Sakura got up. He hopped down onto the floor of her room.

"Sakura, I came here to give you something," Lee said as he handed Sakura the yellow daisy.

"Thank you Lee," Sakura said, some emotion returning to her face.

"Ino wanted me to tell you that you can always talk to her," Lee said looking straight at her.

"Lee, I've made up my mind about Sasuke," sakura said

As Sasuke sits beneath a giant oak tree, he hears a familiar voice. He looks up and sees Sakura running towards him from the clearing just ahead. She looks so happy. Surprised to see her, he gets up and runs toward her with a smile on his face.

Orochimaru steps out from the side and hisses at Sakura. Sakura stops in her tracks, looking at Orochimaru, anger takes over her features. She steps towards him, hands bawled into fists.

"Sakura! No, don't go near him!" Sasuke barked

Right before his eyes, Sakura walked toward Orochimaru, her eyes full of tears and yelled at him. Sasuke couldn't tell what she was saying but Orochimaru looked angry. _STAB_. Sakura coughed up blood as Orochimaru pulled his sword out of her stomach. Her knees began to buckle. Sasuke couldn't move. He couldn't run to catch her. Sakura fell to the ground with a loud thud. Orochimaru's maniacal laughter filled the dark room they were all in.

"NOOO!!!" Sasuke wailed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

AN: hey, sry It took me so long to update, I had a ton of stuff going on for the end of the year and then my mom decided to basically redo our basement so my computer was covered in dust and wood and tools. I probably won't get to update for a while so yea, read the chapter and review. Hope it's good.

_Recap__: Right before his eyes, Sakura walked toward Orochimaru, her eyes full of tears and yelled at him. Sasuke couldn't tell what she was saying but Orochimaru looked angry. STAB. Sakura coughed up blood as Orochimaru pulled his sword out of her stomach. Her knees began to buckle. Sasuke couldn't move. He couldn't run to catch her. Sakura fell to the ground with a loud thud. Orochimaru's maniacal laughter filled the dark room they were all in._

Sasuke woke up in a cold sweat. His breath is heavy and his heart is racing. It was only a dream.

In Orochimaru's room, Kabuto and Orochimaru were plotting. "What do you think about Sasuke and the girl?" Orochimaru inquired.

"I think that Sasuke-kun still cares for her. It could become a problem in the future. It may be in your best interests to get rid of her now," Kabuto said, as if they talked about assassinating people everyday.

"Yes, that is a possibility, but I think that there is a better option that might further my plans even more," Orochimaru said in a sly voice.

"What are you thinking of Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked, suddenly quite interested in what his dark master was planning.

Sakura was beginning to return to her normal self with the help of Lee. They would often go for a walk around the outskirts of the village. Sakura would help Lee walk with his crutch and Lee would comfort her.

"_I've got a weird feeling in my gut. It feels like… butterflies……nah, can't be"_

Sakura was finished with her daily walk with Lee when she ran into Ino by the bridge. "Hey Sakura. How's it going?" Ino asked.

"I've been good. Lee's really helping me to move on," Sakura said. "How about you, any luck with that guy you were hitting on earlier?"

"No, not really. Turns out he's married. But what were you just saying; Lee's helping you to move on. Don't you think that's a little unfaithful to Sasuke?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well you are supposed to be a Sasuke fangirl. Any _true_ fangirl would be waiting for him to come back."

"Well I can't wait for him anymore, he's just going to have to stay out of my new life, cause there's no room for him."

"Are you saying that you are going out with Lee?"

"NO! I'm saying that Lee and I are really good friends and that Sasuke has lost his chance."

"But what about his bushy eyebrows? How can you stand to look at him when you guys are talking?"

"It doesn't matter about his looks Ino, he's been really nice to me and I appreciate it. Besides, it's not like you guys have been comforting me."

"Hey, we didn't know you were still upset. It's kind of hard to figure out when you want company and when you want to be alone."

Sasuke was busy devising his plan to escape when Orochimaru stepped in the room. Hiding his plans lightening fast Sasuke said,"Orochimaru-sama, are you ready to start training again?"

"No, something has just come up and I need to take care of some things before I can continue training you," he said, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.

"Orochimaru-sama, can I take Sakon and Tayuya out for a training session in the woods?"

"Fine, but I don't want you going further that the cliff to the east. We can't have you running off before your training is completed."

"Hai Orochimaru-sama."

Inside Sasuke's head the wheels were turning. If he could just wait for Orochimaru to leave on his "business" he would be able to escape. Through the air vents in the middle of the night would work. That way, no one would know that he was gone until he was far away from that awful place.

It was early morning and Orochimaru and Kabuto were on the road. Their horrible plan already set into motion.

"Orochimaru-sama, what are you planning to do exactly?" Kabuto asked slightly unsure of what the answer would be.

In a slick voice that dripped with evil Orochimaru replied, "Nothing I wouldn't do on a regular day, kill an opponent."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

AN: sry I haven't updated all summer, with vacation and friends and all that summer stuff I really wasn't on the computer much. Also, my mom decided to be mean and blocked FanFiction so I had to finish this chapter and go to the library to upload it. Well here's the final chappy, hope you enjoy it.

_Recap__: It was early morning and Orochimaru and Kabuto were on the road. Their horrible plan already set into motion._

"_Orochimaru-sama, what are you planning to do exactly?" Kabuto asked slightly unsure of what the answer would be._

_In a slick voice that dripped with evil Orochimaru replied, "Nothing I wouldn't do on a regular day, kill an opponent."_

As night fell on the sound village's strong hold Sasuke's plan finally took action. The rest of the base was sound asleep in their rooms, minus the guards on duty. Luckily, in Sasuke's room there was an air vent just above his door. He took the chair from his desk and quietly tried to put it in the right position in front of the door. Thump. Sasuke stopped in his tracks, had someone heard that? Was someone coming to check on him? He waited a few minutes before he stepped up on the chair and removed the metal crate in front of the vent. It was small but he could just squeeze through the opening.

After he had crawled to the opening on the roof, he punched the metal blocking his way and sent it flying. One step closer to his goal he began sprinting towards Konoha.

The sun was just peeking its head over the horizon and Sakura's alarm clock went off. "One more minute mom," she said in a groggy voice. Half an hour later it started to beep again and Sakura finally looked at the clock, "Oh no I'm gonna be late for training!!" She jumped out of bed and threw some clothes on before she ran out the door.

Waiting on the bridge for her was Naruto and Kakashi. She was later than Kakashi, now that was saying something. "Sakura-chan why are u so late?" the stupid blonde asked, slightly annoyed.

"Sorry you guys, I just didn't want to get out of bed this morning. Where are we practicing today anyway?"

"I got first pick this week so I choose Training Ground 9, we need to work on water fields." Kakashi stated as a small yawn escaped his mouth. He must have been up late last night reading Ichi Ichi Paradise.

As they headed for the training ground, Sakura had the eerie feeling that someone was watching her but since Kakashi didn't say anything to alert them, she thought she was safe.

From behind a tight bundle of leaves Sasuke watched in amazement at the friends he had called weak. Sakura was almost strong enough now to land a hit on Kakashi and Naruto had developed a new technique. How could he have ever doubted their strength and potential? But now wasn't the time to worry about past mistakes and misjudgments. He had to worry about warning the people he really cared about.

"Hey! I know you're there!" Naruto's obnoxious voice rang out. "Show yourself you coward!"

"Naruto, calm down, no one's there," Kakashi's smooth tone reassured Sakura that it was true. Still, it felt like someone was watching them.

"Kakashi-sensei, I think Naruto is right, someone's watching us" Sakura hadn't sounded this unnerved since the day after Sasuke had left and she had to tell Tsunade-shisou what she had seen.

This was going to be difficult but Sasuke had no choice. Without time for hesitation Sasuke dropped out of the tree into the sunlight. Before he could hit the ground Kakashi was at his throat. "Kakashi-sensei, I'm not here to…hurt anyone…I need to talk to…Sakura" he choked out.

"BULLSHIT!" Naruto yelled. His face was growing more and more fox-like.

"Naruto…you have to believe me…Sakura's in danger" Sasuke gagged. With nothing else to do, Sasuke kicked Kakashi behind the knee to loosen his grip. Sasuke squirmed away from Naruto and Kakashi only to bump into Sakura.

Sasuke? Is that Sasuke? Sakura fell to the ground with a soft thump as Sasuke bumped into her. Her balance was off, she was so surprised. Before she could recover, Sasuke was at eye level with her, talking to her.

"Sakura, you're in danger, you need to get out of here! Naruto! I didn't come here to pick a fight," Sasuke said frantically. "I only came to warn Sakura, Orochimaru is on his way. He intends to kill her. I can't let that happen."

By now Naruto's features were almost completely fox-like and Sasuke was sure he would have to fight his friend. As the thought ran through his mind Naruto lunged for him. He dodged easily and took a defensive stance. "Naruto, I won't fight you," Sasuke muttered "I can't"

At that, Kakashi stepped in just as he had when the two had gone at each other on the roof of the hospital. "Naruto, calm down," his voice was composed and eased Sakura's apprehension. "Sasuke, why should we believe your intentions are genuine?"

"You have every right to distrust me and there's no way that I can prove myself to you other than to give you my word," Sasuke's voice was low, unsure. They wouldn't believe him and he would be forced to fight those closest to him. **A small tear came to his eye but only for a moment before he came to his senses and blinked it away. (OOC)** He wasn't going to let his soft side get in the way of saving her. Self-doubt and uncertainty turned to determination and persistence. He was going to save her if it cost him his life.

"Sasuke how could you even dare to show your face here! You've done more damage to us than you can possibly imagine!" Naruto's words were frail and holding back tears. His body was shaking, fighting to stay in control of the fox's chakra and fighting to contain his own emotions. Just as the black clouds started to roll in, Naruto lost his hold on the fox and went wild. The wind picked up speed and the trees shook. The sun was covered now and the training ground had become a lifeless wasteland, perfect for a fight. The air was thick with the smell of rain and with the growing tension between the friends. As Sasuke began to analyze the situation, Naruto attacked. His claws were bared and his eyes were a brilliant flaming red. Sasuke blocked the attack with his forearms but was slashed anyway. The gash in his shoulder was especially painful. Before he could register the severity of the wound, Sakura was at Naruto's side. What was she doing? She was…hugging him. The chakra that had engulfed Naruto's body was now cutting and burning Sakura's flesh. He couldn't stand the sight and sound of her pain. Without time to reconsider, Sasuke flung himself at her and tried to pull her off but before he could reach her, Naruto flung her into a tree with his arm. She hit with a solid thud and slid to the ground, she was unconscious. Naruto had already grown three tails and even Sasuke knew that was a bad thing. With nothing else to do, Sasuke made a move to knock out Naruto's legs but missed when Naruto jumped into the air. With his fist clenched, Naruto landed a solid punch square in Sasuke's jaw. Most people would have been out cold but Sasuke had dealt with much worse under Orochimaru's training. As Sasuke felt the extent of the counter attack a steady rain started. Not long after that the rain's speed and force intensified. At the peek of the downpour a puff of smoke appeared between Sasuke and his former teammates. When the smoke cleared, Sasuke's worst fear came true. Orochimaru's tongue was gripping a kunai while the sinister sanin stood next to Kabuto.

"Sasuke, I hardly expected you to be here," Orochimaru's tongue had released the kunai into his hand as the words slid out of his snake-like mouth. "Although now that we're in this situation I must say that I'm very disappointed that you would disobey me. You must remember who you're dealing with."

"Orochimaru, I don't care what you think anymore. I'm through with your training. I'm not going back with you" His tone was laden with disgust.

At that comment Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, making them even more frightening than usual.

"This is why we keep you locked up Sasuke-kun. It's for the best. When locked up, you aren't plagued by pitiful feelings like love. The only things that should matter to you are hard work and determination. Love is useless. It destroys the strongest and ensnares the foolish," he sounded like a mother disciplining their child. "With this disobedience you have forced me to punish you." Without another word, Orochimaru moved to Sakura's side. Sasuke's heart sank, _it destroys the strongest._ With his thoughts jumbled, Sasuke scrambled to get to her in time but it was too late. By the time he reached her side, Orochimaru had already plunged his sword into her chest and had begun turning the blade while it was wedged between her ribs. The pain must have been blinding. With a last smirk, Orochimaru and Kabuto disappeared as mysteriously as they had appeared.

A searing pain ignited in Sakura's chest as she began to come to. Before she could open her eyes, she had to shut them against the intense throbbing. The whole thing was almost unbearable until she heard Sasuke's voice.

"Sakura! Stay with me! Don't close your eyes!" he sounded distressed. What was he so worked up about? At that thought, she felt something familiar underneath her, blood. Why was she lying in blood? Who's blood was it? Her thoughts began to race as she panicked.

As Naruto came to, he saw Sakura lying on the ground in a pool of blood. His mind rushed as he began loosing control. He finally came to a conclusion. With no other ideas, Naruto leapt to his feet and hurried to where Sakura lay. His kunai was at Sasuke's throat when he asked, "How could you kill her? _Why_ would you kill her?"

"Naruto, do you really think I could kill the woman I loved? Do you think that low of me?" Tears streaming down hiss face. In a last attempt to make her comfortable, Sasuke gently removed the sword from her chest and cast it aside. He was at his knees now, sobbing and writhing in pain. A sudden movement caught his eye. Her eyes slid open a few centimeters as she mindlessly gazed around.

"Sakura, I have to tell you something that I should have told you so many years ago. I love you, I always have. That's why I went to train with Orochimaru in the first place, so I could protect you. I'm so sorry I failed you."

"Sasuke…you didn't fail…you helped me to…to better myself. If you hadn't left…I would still be that good-fo…that good-for-nothing little girl that was…was always being rescued," she choked out with a smile.

He held her tight as she gasped for her last breath. Finally, her body went limp and he realized she was gone for good.

miirumiyuki./art/sasusaku-29-42442685

The clouds were now breaking to reveal a beautiful sunset. The sky was littered with splashes of gold, pink and purple. The sun itself was about to sink under the horizon. The sunset was dying.

_Sakura taught me something that day. She taught me that the harshest things in life often make you stronger. And I know this is true because I lived it. After the woman I loved…no, after the woman I love died, I went on to become the strongest in the village. Although I was nominated to be Hokage, I graciously declined and let Naruto live his dream. From then on, I have been working with the children in the academy, telling them the story of the brave kunoichi that changed herself for the sake of a comrade._


End file.
